The state title for 5A girls basketball is wide open with several teams that can win a state championship this year and as far as individual players it's loaded with next level talent as well! Every player listed here will play basketball at the division 1 level so if you get a chance make sure you go check them out and support OUR girls.
1st Team (Alphabetical Order)
Jada Anderson - Senior / Benton / ULM Signee
Amoura Graves - Senior / Ponchatoula / LSU Signee
Jaylyn James - Senior / Mandeville / ULL Signee
Addison Martin - Senior / Captain Shreve / ACU Signee
Mikaylah Williams - Sophomore / Parkway
Jada Anderson will look to defend her state championship title this year after scoring 33 points in last years state championship game! The ULM signee can score it in bunches and she can create off the bounce getting her teammates involved with her relentless attacking mindset. This will always give Benton a chance to compete with anyone in the state and a great shot at back to back state championships.
Amoura Graves is trying to get Ponchatoula back into the state championship hunt! The LSU signee has a high motor to go along with her ability to play inside and out. Her team will lean heavily on her to lead them despite returning all but one senior (Madison Gill / Nicholls Freshmen). I expect Amoura to lead Ponchatoula in several statistical categories this year as she's a walking double double and does a lot of positive things on the basketball court for her team.
Jaylyn James makes the move from STA to Mandeville and it'll be exciting to watch her compete at the highest level of high school basketball this season! The ULL signee is a high level athlete at the guard position and has that "wow" factor every time you watch her play. Mandeville missed the playoffs last year but adding Jaylyn along with the players they returned could actually be one of the dark horses to win 5A this year!
Addison Martin will lead the way on a very talented Captain Shreve roster with three division 1 signees (Kiayra Ellis - Arkansas State & Jordan Mclemore - Northwestern State). The ACU signee is a great high school player standing 6'0 she can play and defend multiple positions. She's impressed me on multiple occasions after evaluating her at several different games which says a lot about a players ability to keep improving their skill set and overall game.
Mikayla Williams is the best player in the state hands down regardless of classification. If you have not seen this rising 2023 (sophomore) play you need to take a drive down to Parkway High School and check her out. She's top 10 in the nation for the class of 2023 and players like her in Louisiana don't come around to often so lets all enjoy watching her play while we still can.... she's as good as advertised and keeps getting better each time out!
2nd Team (Alphabetical Order)
Shamiya Butler - Junior / West Monroe
Faith Lee - Junior / Ouachita
Soniyah Reed - Senior / Northshore / Southern Signee
Kennedee Shelton - Senior / Southwood
Taylor Wilkins - Senior / Mt. Carmel / Southern Signee
Shamiya Butler is the best low block big in the class of 2022 as well as 5A. The 6'1 post has a good low block presence on both ends of the court continues to improve. She's only a Junior and still a little under the radar as far as across the state but expect a big year out of her and look for West Monroe to make some noise this year in the 5A playoffs.
Faith Lee is arguably the most improved player from last year as the long lanky forward has moved her game away from the basket and to the perimeter. This summer we saw her playing the wing and she really excelled versus some high level competition. She's another Junior with an extremely high ceiling if her game continues to grow outside it's scary to see what she can be as a 5'11 guard!
Soniyah Reed and the Northshore Panthers will be another dark horse to win 5A this year and a big reason for that is Soniyah's versatility. Standing 5'11 she can make plays on both ends of the court and has a high motor her teammates feed off of. The Southern signee will be exciting to watch as she tries to lead her team to Southeastern for the state tournament!
Kennedee Shelton is a major diamond in the rough that's getting a ton of attention here lately. She's a 5'10 guard and currently ranked 23rd in our rankings for the 2021 class but I wouldn't be surprised if she jumps even higher after this season. She's one of our top unsigned seniors and every college coach that calls we're referring her and her game. Southwood is rolling this year and seem to be off to a red hot start as they all seem to have a chip on their shoulder from last year.... this will be a scary player and team to see come February!
Taylor Wilkins and Mt. Carmel bring back everyone from last years team so you know they will be in the hunt for a state title! The McNeese signee had a great summer and she'll look to carry that momentum into this season. At 5'10 she's got good size and can play both inside and out but where she really excels is in transition where she can get out and run with her teammates.
Watch List: (Alphabetical Order)
Kiayra Ellis - Senior / Captain Shreve
Jasmine Matthews - Sophomore / East St. John
Sh'Diamond Mcknight - Senior / Parkway
Kori Rice - Junior / Airline
Jaylee Womack - Junior / Ponchatoula
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